The Christian Warfare Part 2, To the reader
To the Christian Reader.
THe Christian mans life is a continuall warfare, wherein hee is daily assaulted (I know not whether, with greater subtiltie or furie, policie or power) by three puissant enemies, the diuell, the the world, and the flesh; eueryevery one of which hauehave many legions vnderunder their conduct, which are ready to second and succour them, when they giuegive signe of battaile. The diuell is the grand captaine, and generall of all these forces; the world and the flesh, are chiefe commanders vnderunder him, who hauehave many millions of spirituall enemies vnderunder their ensignes, that continuallie fight against vsus. Satan ordereth the battaile, and guideth all these forces to his best aduantage, and our ruine; the world ministreth vntounto him weapons and munition, whereby this fight is maintained; and the flesh like a wicked traitor openeth the gates of our soules when we are assaulted, and receiuing the pay of worldly vanities, ioyneth with these externall forces to work our final ouerthrow. The issue of this fight is either their, or our victorie; the former is accompanied with the diuels triumph, and our perpetuall captiuitie and thraldome in the chaines of darknes; yea with the most exquisite and ineffable torments of hell fire: the other, with the crowne of victorie which our great Commander, the Lord of hosts, hath promised to those that2. Cor. 4. 17. ouercome; euen that superexcellent and eternall waight of glorie reserued in the highest heauens.
The consideration whereof, as it should moue all Christians valiantly to fight the Lords battailes, to forget all labour, and to contemne all danger, especially seeing they hauehave the power of God to assist them, and his gracious promise, that if they will bee his souldiers, they shall also bee conquerours; if they will but fight, they shall assuredly ouercome: so also should it incite all Gods faithfull ministers, who are appointed by him to bee in this spirituall warfare, not onelyonly souldiers, to fight in their owne persons, but also the Lords captaines to teach, guide and direct, both by word and example, those who are committed to their charge, yea as much as in them lieth the whole armie of the Church militant; that they also be carefull and diligent to teach the ignorant the Lords march, the discipline of his warre, the order of his battels, and how to manage their spirituall weapons for their best aduantage: that they likewise incourage and harten the white liuered, and freshwater souldier to the fight; that they rouze vp the sluggish, by often sounding in their eares the terrible thunder of Gods threats, and the sweet tunes of his promises; that they moderate the heate, and mitigate and restraine the desperate boldnesse of those, who are ouercaried in their blind zeale, with spirituall wisdome and discretion, which are otherwise apt in themselues to bee intrapped with the subtiltie, and to fall into the ambushments of their enemies, to their vtter ruine and destruction.
Being therefore called through Gods vndeserued grace to this function, I thought it my dutie, besides my other labours in my ministerie, to attempt this worke; the which I acknowledge might hauehave been much better atchieued by some of the Lords great Worthies, vntounto the least degree of whose strength and excellencie I hauehave not attained: but being by them either omitted, or but by the way, as some speciall occasion required, briefly touched; I thought it better, notwithstanding my great weakenesse, to vndertake it, then that it should be wholly neglected; and by doing in this the Lords businesse what I could doe, to put others in mind who are of greater abilitie, what they should doe; drawing them on by my example to perfect that, which I hauehave but rud…ly attempted; wherein my poore labours shal but serue as foiles, to shew the greater glory of their surpassing excellencies, and but as courser wares, to make their finer stuffes more saleable and commendable. And hauing through Gods assistance finished and set foorth the first part of this Christian Warfare, wherein I hauehave laid open the subtiltie, power, politicke stratagems, and pernicious tentations of Satan our grand enemie; and withall hauehave armed and furnished the weake Christian with such means and spiritual weapons, as may by the blessing and assistance of Gods holy spirit strengthen him in the incounter, repell the enemie, and obtaine victorie; and hauing found that the Work, like course meate in the time of a great dearth, hath been esteemed of many hungrie soules aboue desert, their necessitie, and not any selfe excellencie, giuing worth vntounto it, and making it, though in it selfe but homely fare, pleasing and acceptable to their sharpened appetites: I hauehave the rather bin incouraged to set vponupon the second part of this Warfare, & to arme the Christian against all those assaults, which the second enemie of our saluation, the world, assaileth him with; which as the following discourse, and the experience of al times sufficiently shew, are no lesse dangerous and pernicious then the other. And because I hold a strange paradox in the conceit of worldly men, maintaining that these earthly things are base and of little worth, and therefore to bee contemned or lightly valued, which they so much magnifie in their iudgements, adhere vntounto in their hearts and affections, and both get and keepe with so great care and labour, and lose with such bitter griefe; I thought it fit (besides my wonted order) not onelyonly plentifully to confirme this truth by the holy Scriptures, but also to alleage the sayings of the godly learned, and ancient Fathers, who hauehave liued in former ages, to shew the conformitie of our iudgements, and our vnanimous consent in expounding those places of holy scriptures, which serue for the clearing and proouing of those points, for which I alleage them; lest perhaps mine owne writings and assertions might seeme to hauehave proceeded out of some melancholicke or discontented humor, which might make me to contemne the world, because it hath alwaies contemned me, and so carrie no credit with them, if I were not backed with their better authoritie. And to the same purpose, I hauehave also more plentifully then is my vsuall custome, alleaged the sayings of the wisest Heathens, and most learned Philosophers; because hauing to deale with carnall worldlings, who notwithstanding make shew and profession of Christian religion, I might mooue and perswade them, if not in the feare of God, and for conscience sake, yet at least for shame to assent vntounto that truth, vntounto which Pagans and Infidels hauehave yeelded and subscribed, who hauehave had no other knowledge to guide them, but the light of nature. The which my labours, I humbly submit to the graue censure of the iudicious, learned, and godly Reader: the which I hope to find more fauourable; because my errours may more iustly be excused, seeing I doe not trauell in a path beaten by others, who hauehave gone before me, but in an vncouth and vnusuall way, where I hauehave not had the tract of other mens steps for my direction; there being none that I know of, especially of our countrimen, that hauehave purposely laboured in this argument. The Lord blesse these and all other my lab…urs, that they may bee powerfull and effectuall, for the aduancement of his glorie, the good of his Church, and the comfort and edification of all the particular members thereof, who shalt hauehave any vse of my poore ministerie; that being armed and strengthened hereby, against the politicke furie, and powerfull cunning of our spirituall enemies, they may obtaine a full and finall victorie ouer them, and also the crowne of victorie, euerlasting glorie, and happinesse in Gods Kingdome. Amen.
From Lothburie in London, the seuenth of May, Anno Dom. 1611. Thine in the Lord, I. D.